The German government has approved a proposal that will require foreign companies doing business in the country to pay workers the full wages set by German collective bargaining agreements. This legislation has been spurred by Germany's 12.5 percent jobless rate. There is also concern over an inflow of cheap labor into the country from new members of the European Union such as Poland, the Czech Republic and Hungary.
See "Germany Plans to Curb Cheap Labor Inflow", The New York Times, April 26, 2005